LIVE IT TODAY: Friday, February 13, 2026
I draw you close to Myself to heal what is closed within you—be opened, and live in the freedom I give.
LIVE IT TODAY: Friday, February 13, 2026
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I draw you close to Myself to heal what is closed within you—be opened, and live in the freedom I give.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Mark 7:31-37
Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Jesus heals by drawing close and opening what sin, fear, and suffering have shut.
The journey details matter. Jesus moves through Gentile territory—the Decapolis—revealing that His saving power is not confined to one people or place. Healing here is not incidental; it is a sign that God’s restoration is meant for the whole world.
The man cannot hear and cannot speak clearly. These are deeply relational wounds. To be deaf is to be cut off from communion; to be unable to speak plainly is to struggle to give oneself in return. Jesus does not heal from a distance. He takes the man aside, away from the crowd. Love attends personally.
The physicality of the healing is striking. Jesus touches ears and tongue, looks to heaven, and groans. The Greek word conveys a deep, visceral sigh—creation itself aching for restoration. Healing is not mechanical; it is costly, intimate, and incarnational.
Then comes the word: Ephphatha. Aramaic, not Greek. Jesus speaks in the man’s own language. God meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. Grace speaks fluently to the wounded heart.
This Gospel echoes powerfully in family life. Many wounds in the home are not loud; they are silent. We stop listening. We stop speaking honestly. Children withdraw. Spouses mishear one another. Jesus still desires to take families aside and speak His opening word.
Faith opens what fear closes. When Christ is invited into the heart of the home, ears reopen to truth and voices recover clarity. Healing spreads so naturally that it cannot be contained.
Build saint-forming homes by allowing Jesus intimate access to your family’s wounds, pray over your children by name that their hearts be opened to truth and love, and act boldly in the power of the Holy Spirit, trusting that when Christ says Ephphatha over your home, restoration follows.
“Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification.” (CCC 2010)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where do I need Jesus to open my ability to hear His truth or speak it honestly?
In My Home: What silence or misunderstanding needs Christ’s healing touch in our family?
In My World: How might God be calling me to witness to His restoring power?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one area where you want Jesus to help you listen or speak more clearly.
Then pray together aloud. As parents, place a hand on each person and pray over them by name, asking that they know God’s love personally, be freed from the Enemy’s lies, be strengthened to overcome temptation, and be filled with joyful openness to live the Gospel courageously.
Daily Challenge: Intentionally listen today—without interruption—to one family member as an act of love.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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